Gyula Benczúr (28 January 1844,

Nyíregyháza Nyíregyháza (, ) is a city with county rights in northeastern Hungary and the county capital of Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg. With a population of 118,001, it is the seventh-largest city in Hungary and the second largest in the Northern Great ...

– 16 July 1920,

Szécsény Szécsény is a town in Nógrád county, Hungary. Etymology The name comes from the Slavic ''sečь'': cutting (''Sečany''). 1219/1550 ''Scecen''. History The valley of the Ipoly and especially the area of that around Szécsény was inhabite ...

) was a Hungarian painter and art teacher. An "outstanding exponent of

academicism Academic art, academicism, or academism, is a style of painting and sculpture produced under the influence of European academies of art. This method extended its influence throughout the Western world over several centuries, from its origins i ...

", he specialized in portraits and historical scenes. He is "considered one of the greatest Hungarian masters of

historicism Historicism is an approach to explaining the existence of phenomena, especially social and cultural practices (including ideas and beliefs), by studying the process or history by which they came about. The term is widely used in philosophy, ant ...

Biography

Benczúr was born in the city of Nyíregyháza on the 28th January 1844, to Vilmos Benczúr and Paulina Laszgallner. He came from an old noble family on his father's side. His family moved to Kassa (now

Košice Košice is the largest city in eastern Slovakia. It is situated on the river Hornád at the eastern reaches of the Slovak Ore Mountains, near the border with Hungary. With a population of approximately 230,000, Košice is the second-largest cit ...

) when he was still very young and he displayed an early talent for drawing. He began his studies in 1861 with Hermann Anschutz and Johann Georg Hiltensperger (1806–1890). From 1865 to 1869, he studied with

Karl von Piloty Karl Theodor von Piloty (1 October 1826 – 21 July 1886) was a German painter, noted for his historical subjects, and recognised as the foremost representative of the realistic school in Germany. Life and work Piloty was born in Munich. His fath ...

."Gyula Benczúr, 'Baptism of the Vajk'", Christies
/ref> In 1869, Benczúr traveled to Italy to pursue further studies. He achieved international success in 1870 when he won the Hungarian national competition for historical painting with his depiction of King Stephen's baptism. He then assisted Piloty with the

fresco Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...

es at the

Maximilianeum The Maximilianeum, a palatial building in Munich, was built as the home of a gifted students' foundation but since 1949 has housed the Bavarian State Parliament. History The Maximilianeum was initially an educational foundation set up by King ...

and the Rathaus in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

and illustrated books by the great German writer,

Friedrich Schiller Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (, short: ; 10 November 17599 May 1805) was a German playwright, poet, philosopher and historian. Schiller is considered by most Germans to be Germany's most important classical playwright. He was born i ...

. King

Ludwig II Ludwig II (Ludwig Otto Friedrich Wilhelm; 25 August 1845 – 13 June 1886), also called the Swan King or the Fairy Tale King (), was King of Bavaria from 1864 until his death in 1886. He also held the titles of Count Palatine of the Rhine, Duk ...

of Bavaria gave him several commissions. In 1873, in Munich, he married Lina, the sister of the Munich painter Gabriel von Max. In the summer of 1874, the king sent him to France to study at Fontainebleau. Telepy, Katalin. ''Benczúr'', Corvina Kiadó, 1970, 7-26 He was named a Professor at the

Academy of Fine Arts, Munich The Academy of Fine Arts, Munich (, also known as Munich Academy) is one of the oldest and most significant art academies in Germany. It is located in the Maxvorstadt district of Munich, in Bavaria, Germany. In the second half of the 19th centur ...

, in 1875. Soon after, he built a home in Ambach on

Lake Starnberg Lake Starnberg, or ''Starnberger See'' ) — called Lake Würm or ''Würmsee'' until 1962 — is Germany's second-largest body of fresh water, having great depth, and fifth-largest lake by area. It and its surroundings lie in three different Bava ...

; designed by his brother Béla. In 1883, he returned to Hungary, where he continued to be an art teacher. One of his most distinguished pupils was the Swiss-born American painter

Adolfo Müller-Ury Adolfo Müller-Ury, Order of St. Gregory the Great, KSG (March 29, 1862 – July 6, 1947) was a Swiss-born American portrait painter and Impressionism, impressionistic painter of roses and still life. Early life and education Müller was b ...

. Benczúr was later a favorite among the Hungarian upper-class, painting numerous portraits of kings and aristocrats. He also created some religious works; notably altarpieces for

St. Stephen's Basilica St. Stephen's Basilica ( ) is a Roman Catholic basilica in Budapest, Hungary. It is named in honour of Stephen, the first King of Hungary (c. 975–1038), whose right hand is housed in the reliquary. Since the renaming of the primatial see, it ...

and

Buda Castle Buda Castle (, ), formerly also called the Royal Palace () and the Royal Castle (, ), is the historical castle and palace complex of the King of Hungary, Hungarian kings in Budapest. First completed in 1265, the Baroque architecture, Baroque pa ...

. He was an honorary member of the

Hungarian Academy of Sciences The Hungarian Academy of Sciences ( , MTA) is Hungary’s foremost and most prestigious learned society. Its headquarters are located along the banks of the Danube in Budapest, between Széchenyi rakpart and Akadémia utca. The Academy's primar ...

. He spent his last years in Dolány, Nógrád county, in northern Hungary. Following his death the village was named Benczúrfalva in honor of him."Drawing School Opens in Benczúrfalva Named after Renowned Hungarian Painter Gyula Benczúr", ''Hungary Today'', July 20, 2020
/ref> In 2019 the National Bank of Hungary issued new silver coins to mark the 175th anniversary of Benczúr's birth.Alexander Michael. "Hungary: Salute to prominent Hungarian artists continues with new silver coins in tribute to Gyula Benczúr", ''Coin News'', February 14, 2019
/ref> In 2020, in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of Benczúr's death, the Embassy of Hungary in Azerbaijan, with the support of the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Hungary, the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan, held an art contest for Azerbaijani children between the ages of 6 and 17. Streets have been named after him in

Balassagyarmat Balassagyarmat (Hungarian: ; formerly ''Balassa-Gyarmath''; ; or ) is a town in northern Hungary. It was the seat of the Nógrád County, Nógrád Comitatus (Kingdom of Hungary), comitatus. Balassagyarmat is the capital city of Palóc country as ...

, Balatonkenese,

Berettyóújfalu Berettyóújfalu is a town in Hajdú-Bihar county, in center of the Northern Great Plain region of eastern Hungary, near the border with Romania. It is strategically located, being 35 km south of Debrecen, the second largest city in Hungary, ...

Bonyhád Bonyhád () is a town in Tolna County in Southwestern Hungary. History The area around Bonyhád has been inhabited since ancient times, primarily by Celts. The modern town can trace its history back to 14th century. The town was briefly uninhab ...

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

Debrecen Debrecen ( ; ; ; ) is Hungary's cities of Hungary, second-largest city, after Budapest, the regional centre of the Northern Great Plain Regions of Hungary, region and the seat of Hajdú-Bihar County. A city with county rights, it was the large ...

Jászberény Jászberény is a city and market centre in Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok county in Hungary. Location Jászberény is located in central Hungary, on the Zagyva River, a tributary of the Tisza River. It is about from Budapest. History The oldes ...

Komló Komló (, , ) is a town in Baranya county, Hungary. The name of the settlement is derived from the local crop of hops (komló), an ingredient of beer. By the 18th century a depiction of this plant running up a support already featured on the heral ...

Pécs Pécs ( , ; ; Slovak language, Slovak: ''Päťkostolie''; also known by #Name, alternative names) is List of cities and towns of Hungary#Largest cities in Hungary, the fifth largest city in Hungary, on the slopes of the Mecsek mountains in the c ...

Szabadszállás Szabadszállás is a small town in Bács-Kiskun county, Hungary, 80 kilometres south of Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the ...

Szeged Szeged ( , ; see also #Etymology, other alternative names) is List of cities and towns of Hungary#Largest cities in Hungary, the third largest city of Hungary, the largest city and regional centre of the Southern Great Plain and the county seat ...

and

. His daughters Olga (1875–1962) and Ida (1876–1970) also became well-known artists.

Selected paintings

File:Benczur-narcissus.jpg, Narcissus File:Benczur-hunyadi laszlo bucsuja.jpg,

Ladislaus Hunyadi László Hunyadi or Ladislaus Hunyadi ( Slovak: ''Ladislav Huňady''; 1431Bánhegyi 2008, p. 17. – 16 March 1457) was a Hungarian nobleman. Ladislaus Hunyadi was the elder of the two sons of John Hunyadi, voivode of Transylvania and later reg ...

's Farewell File:Benczúr Olvasó nő.jpg, Reading in the Woods File:Benczur-vajk.jpg, The Baptism of Vajk File:Benczur-kleopatra.jpg,

Cleopatra Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator (; The name Cleopatra is pronounced , or sometimes in both British and American English, see and respectively. Her name was pronounced in the Greek dialect of Egypt (see Koine Greek phonology). She was ...

File:Gyula Benczur Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria.jpg,

Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria (Rudolf Franz Karl Josef; 21 August 1858 – 30 January 1889) was the only son and third child of Franz Joseph I of Austria, Emperor Franz Joseph I and Empress Elisabeth of Austria. He was heir apparent to the imp ...

File:Vastagh Archduke Joseph Karl.jpg, Archduke Joseph Karl of Austria File:Benczúr Gyula – A diadalmas Mátyás.jpg, alt=Matthias Corvinus, Hungary, King, The triumphant

Matthias Matthias is a name derived from the Greek Ματθαίος, in origin similar to Matthew. Notable people Notable people named Matthias include the following: Religion * Saint Matthias, chosen as an apostle in Acts 1:21–26 to replace Judas Isca ...

(1919, Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest) File:Benczúr Gyula Mátyás király fogadja a pápai követeket.jpg, alt=Matthias Corvinus, Hungary, King, King Matthias receives the Papal Legates (1915).

References

Sources

*''Gyula Benczúr, Exposition Memoriale''. Budapest: Hungarian National Museum, 1958 * Gábor Ö. Pogány,. ''Nineteenth Century Hungarian Painting'', (1958) Reprint, Budapest: Corvina Press, 1972 *Katalin Telepy, ''Benczúr''. Nyíregyháza, Hungary: Jósa András Múzeum, 1963 *Antal Kampis, ''The History of Art in Hungary''. Budapest: Corvina Press, 1966

External links

Works and biography of Gyula Benczúr @ Fine arts in HungaryWorks of Gyula Benczúr held in Slovak art collections
{{DEFAULTSORT:Benczur, Gyula 1844 births 1920 deaths Academic artists Members of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences Academic staff of the Academy of Fine Arts, Munich 19th-century Hungarian illustrators 20th-century Hungarian illustrators Painters from Austria-Hungary 19th-century Hungarian painters 19th-century Hungarian male artists 20th-century Hungarian painters 20th-century Hungarian male artists Hungarian male painters Hungarian art educators